A Stroller and Cosplayers
by sawruhr
Summary: Somehow, Amanda ends up at Comic Con.


**My first SVU fic! I'm more of a casual fan, but this idea came to me when I saw a rerun of Intimidation Game. Not really that great an episode, but I noticed something funny. Carisi mentions comic con, and having gone there last year, I was like, what if he ropes Amanda and Fin along? Just something short and sweet. Hopefully I got the characters down!**

 **:::**

"So you actually showed up?"

Amanda rolled her eyes with a smile, returning Fin's warm hug. Her partner's teasing, no matter how much she would deny it if asked, was actually comforting. It made New York feel like home, made the people she had met, who worked with her, feel almost like what family was supposed to be.

"And miss all of this?" she said, glancing around the the crowded Javits Center. Everywhere she turned, there was someone in a costume. New York Comic Con was definitely not something Amanda Rollins was too interested in, but when Fin and Carisi invited her, citing an extra ticket to the popular event, she found herself actually agreeing to go. Ever since having a baby, her social life had dwindled to a dismal few minutes a day at the coffee maker. A few hours on a Saturday to watch Fin and Carisi geek out to the latest whatever would actually be very entertaining.

"Hey, buddy. Look at that, dressed up and everything." Amanda couldn't help but laugh, seeing Fin hunched over and tickling Jesse in his stroller. The one year old giggled at the attention - Jesse seemed to love all of Amanda's coworkers, though he was still warming up to Barba (as was the case vice versa).

"Keep it up and he'll spit up on you like last time," said Amanda, one hand resting on the stroller. Fin shook his head.

"Nah, Jess wouldn't do that to me again. A bit more nice than his mom," joked Fin. "Can I?"

Amanda nodded, watching Fin gently unbuckle Jesse and pull him out of the stroller.

"Batman, huh. One of my favorites too." It was an odd sight, one that Amanda wasn't sure she would ever get use to. Her partner, the laid back, cool headed detective, bouncing a tiny toddler in his arms with this small grin she didn't see often on his face. Amanda knew Fin had a son, also knew their relationship wasn't typical, but it still surprised her at how natural he was with children. Carisi was the same way, albeit with the biggest smile, all chatty, like the kid understood everything he was saying. Speaking of which, she wondered where her other coworker had wandered to.

"Where's Carisi? Fanboying over at some table?" she asked. Fin sent her a smile over the top of Jesse's Batman cowl, eyebrow quirked in approval at her correct use of the term fanboy.

"Went with Lucy to see when a panel was starting."

"Lucy?" Amanda raised her brows.

"Liv's babysitter. We ran into her upstairs. Turns out she's really into this stuff, even dressed up," explained Fin. Amanda nodded - she often saw Lucy around the office with Noah, and sometimes at Liv's apartment for get-togethers. Although Amanda didn't know the young woman too well, Lucy was always friendly and willing to help out.

"Looks like everyone is," mused Amanda, once again looked around at the many people parading around in colorful outfits. She had only known it was common to dress up after she looked online for details, and opened Jesse's Halloween costume early in preparation. She, on the other hand, had absolutely no intention of wearing anything but her street clothes. Fin seemed to share the same idea, dressed down and looking like he typically would, even at the office.

"I'm disappointed you didn't decide to throw on something, Fin. What about Carisi?"

"I hear you two crackin' jokes?" Fin and Amanda turned to see their blond coworker. To Amanda's further disappointment, Carisi was likewise wearing street clothes, though it looked like he used maybe a little less gel in his hair. Behind him, Lucy gave a small wave. Just as Fin said, the woman was in costume, green cargoes, blue tank top, and a quiver and bow over her shoulders. Her clothes looked a bit dirtied up, along with a sprinkle of brown and red makeup across her arms and face, mimicing dirt and blood. Amanda had no idea who Lucy was supposed to be, maybe some sort of adventurer?

"When you're not around? We wouldn't dream of it, Carisi. He hasn't been telling you that's all we do, has he?" Amanda asked, greeting Lucy with a smile and handshake.

"Sonny might've mentioned it once or twice," said Lucy, returning the handshake. Amanda tried not to look surprised. No one called Carisi Sonny, and Lucy was pretty formal with her employer's coworkers even outside the office.

"It's nice to see you again, Detective Rollins. I didn't think you'd be into Comic Con," continued Lucy, brushing back brown hair that hadn't been tied back in her ponytail.

"Trust me, I'm not."

"Nah, it's growing on you, isn't it?" said Carisi, as Fin carefully passed Jesse over to him. "Look at how big you've gotten!"

And there Carisi went with speaking directly to a toddler. Lucy had come up beside him, similarly talking quietly to Jesse. She must have said something funny, Amanda couldn't hear, but Carisi glanced over at the short woman, eyes all bright, that stupid grin never leaving his face. For a moment, Amanda felt terribly sad. Watching the two over Jesse, that's what it was supposed to be like. Not, not what Amanda had now. Not calls in the middle of the night, gifts sent from all over the world, brief meetings filled with uncertainty. In what exactly was she raising Jesse?

"It's my first time here too, don't worry."

Amanda hadn't even realized Fin was standing next to her. He bumped shoulders with her, a knowing look on his face.

"Yeah, but at least you're used to this kind of thing," she responded.

"Soon, you'll be too. Then you'll stop feeling like you made a huge mistake," said Fin, voice comforting in the absolute human traffic that surrounded her. Amanda smiled, watching Jesse laugh, his eyes wandering to hers, and hands reaching out. She walked over, gently lifting her son out of Carisi's arms and holding him close.

"So, you guys gonna show a newbie like me around?" Amanda readjusted Jesse's cowl. Of course, he would pick out a Batman costume for their son. A box at the door, a quick note that he was still there - so simple despite everything between them.

"Look at you, picking up all the new words," said Carisi, sharing a grin with Fin as Amanda secured Jesse back in the stroller.

"Yeah, yeah. Hanging around you two, it was bound to happen," said Amanda, reaching for the handle. "Lead the way?"

With that, Carisi took front, Lucy at his side, pointing out all the tables and more eccentric costumes they passed. Amanda trailed close behind with Fin. A couple of years ago, she would never be able to imagine herself here. But, here she was, surrounded by everything entirely new, with people she cared about, and maybe it wouldn't be all that bad.

 **:::**

 **This was supposed to be more Carisi-centric, with comic con shenanigans, but somehow it turned into an Amanda piece. I'm not sure where the writers are heading with her, but I'm not a fan of her and Carisi - the relationship seems too platonic to me at this stage. Somehow, tumblr got me thinking of Olivia's babysitter playing a bigger role in the show since the newer episodes? Whatever the case, I thought it would be fun to have her actually be a cosplayer (can you guess who she was going as?) and it could be cute seeing her interact with Carisi.**

 **I might add to this, I'm not sure yet, but I hope you enjoyed reading.**


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